The 2014 Draft class arrived at the wrong time

Aaron Gordon had pretty much completed his work entering the final game of 2017-18 season. The future seems much more optimistic than the present.

Gordon, the bundle of potential the Orlando Magic picked fourth in the 2014 NBA Draft, has finally initiated said potential and is developing into a promising young professional. Wednesday’s season finale came and went with Gordon scoring 11 points in the first quarter and then sitting the rest of the night. He finished his fourth season averaging a career best 17.6 points to go with 7.9 rebounds. With a higher usage rate and more minutes than ever, Gordon shined, putting in some strong scoring performances and displaying some newfound range from beyond the arc.

As he exited shootaround before Wednesday’s game, he seemed excited to get to work this offseason. He said he wanted to work on his post game, improve his ball handling and his jumper. The usual things players talk about doing in their offseason.

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There is one element he has tried to keep out of his mind all year — his impending free agency. There’s a real possibility Wednesday marked Gordon’s last game in a Magic uniform.

As he said, there is a long time between the end of the season in April, the Draft in June and free agency beginning in July. There are no more games to play, just negotiations for a new contract or a future offer sheet.

Then, of course, he told the media at exit interviews Thursday he believed the ideal situation was for the Magic to offer him a max contract on July 1, and take care of things then and there. Gordon is pretty confident in himself. And now the focus is on not only improving his game but also what comes next.

It does not feel like it, but the 22-year-old Gordon has reached the end of his rookie contract. The false starts and growing pains he came in with are gone, but he is still an incomplete player. No, a max contract is not a guarantee despite Gordon’s self-confidence.

Injuries slowed his growth. Then came the illogical lineup decisions the Magic made that put him at small forward rather than power forward. The constant coaching changes. Orlando did not exactly give a young player the best environment to grow.

Now that he has had one year of breaking out and realizing his potential, the Magic will have to pay him. Likely somewhere near $20 million, further clogging their books but securing at least one promising young player for the long term.

Gordon is not the only one. There are several top picks from the 2014 Draft facing restricted free agency and plenty of uncertainty about their futures, what they are worth and where they might end up this summer.

A draft class many believed was worth tanking two years for has a few solid stars, but has largely failed to deliver. Many of the players entering restricted free agency face a lot of the similar questions of fit and development Gordon faces in his offseason.

Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid secured their extensions. The 19th overall pick Gary Harris got his — a four-year, $84 million deal starting at $16.5 million. And that is the extent of the list.

The market this summer will get flooded with intriguing restricted free agents like Jabari Parker, Gordon, Zach LaVine, Julius Randle and Marcus Smart among others. These are not players who are run-of-the-mill guys. These are key players for their teams. But also players with plenty of questions marks. How do you value any of them?

Really on that list, only Marcus Smart has firmly established his role. He is a bull of a backup point guard helping set the Boston Celtics’ defensive identity. Even if his game is flawed in a league that is more about shooting than ever before. And now he has an offseason injury further muddying his potential value.

Gordon is not alone in the mysterious value sweepstakes of this draft.

Jabari Parker has suffered two torn ACLs, but looked every bit the star that made him the second overall pick. He averaged 15.3 points per game for his career and averaged 20 points per game before tearing his ACL again last year. Even with those numbers, Parker does not fit the modern NBA perfectly. He is improving as a 3-point shooter. But Giannis Antetokounmpo has long eclipsed him.

Julius Randle broke his foot his first game of his career. He has been battling his way back ever since, producing gaudy numbers but seemingly never part of the Los Angeles Lakers’ plans. He averaged 16.1 points per game while shooting 55.8 percent from the floor. The only problem is Randle is a traditional power forward, and the Lakers are in love with their new rookie Kyle Kuzma.

Zach LaVine was a big-time scorer with the Minnesota Timberwolves having a career year before he tore his ACL two years ago. He struggled to get himself back into full shape with the Chicago Bulls this year. He averaged 16.7 points per game in 24 games. Hardly enough to make any major financial decisions on him.

Yet, all of these players will get their paydays from someone. Likely from the teams they are already playing for. The free agent market simply does not have the space for them to get much more from anywhere else. There are only four or five teams with max cap space or any significant cap space.

All indications are the Magic are willing to match about any offer on Gordon. The team is in such a hole that letting another promising young player walk could be disastrous — even at the risk of Gordon never becoming the superstar they need. And it seems equally likely the Bulls will match lucrative offers for LaVine too. They are also in a situation where they cannot let a young prospect like LaVine walk.

Randle is a bigger mystery. But all these players are mysteries. All these players have no set value and no set future. They will find homes — new or old. But they are entering the market at the wrong time.

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This would normally be a market where they could leverage their potential into rich deals, building the confidence to continue growing. Instead, they are scrambling to answer questions about their weaknesses. Potential is not currency in a tight free agent market. They only can sell it to the teams who already know them well.

Then again, it will only take one team to offer a too-big contract and give these players the riches they might otherwise have gotten.